9/22/2016 1:00 AM PDT BY TMZ STAFF

EXCLUSIVE

Brad Pitt
is under investigation by the LAPD and L.A. County Dept. of Children
and Family Services for allegedly getting verbally abusive and physical
with his children, and that's what triggered the divorce ... TMZ has
learned.
Sources familiar with the situation tell us, Brad, Angelina
and their kids were on a flight last Wednesday when he allegedly got
wasted on the private jet. He allegedly went wild, screaming and getting
physical with the kids.
We're told the plane landed at an airport around 8 PM, and witnesses
say Pitt continued his rant on the tarmac, and even tried leaving in one
of the fuel trucks.
Our sources say someone either on the plane or the tarmac anonymously
reported the incident to the L.A. County Dept. of Children and Family
Services. We're told Brad and Angelina have already been interviewed and
DCFS plans to interview the kids as well. That investigation is
ongoing.
We're also told the LAPD has the case ... which is routine when
anyone reports child abuse. We do not know the specifics of the alleged
abuse ... just that it was supposedly both verbal and physical.
Our sources say this incident triggered Jolie to separate from Brad the next day and file for divorce just days later.
A source close to Brad tells TMZ, "He takes the matter very seriously
and says he did not commit any abuse of his children," adding, "It's
unfortunate that people involved are continuing to present him in the
worst possible light."

.....

TMZ’s Harvey Levin also said the demise of Brangelina had nothing to do with the French actress.
“Something
happened last week where she (Jolie) reached a breaking point and
that’s why on Thursday she separated from him, on Friday she went to a
lawyer, on Monday they had filed for divorce, it happened like that,” Levin said in a Facebook video. “Something happened last week that pushed her over the line.”
He
also said: “This is about Brad Pitt, weed, alcohol, his anger problems
and how the combination of those things affect his interaction with
their six kids.
“And that’s what this is about, it’s not about a
third person, it’s not about another woman. It is about the kids and
that’s why she did it, that’s why she did it abruptly.”